For the users of medication delivery devices it is a cumbersome process to keep track of the amount of doses being expelled from the medication delivery device. This process is being further complicated if the time of injection, date of injection etc. are also to be monitored.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,185 discloses an external display apparatus for pen-like injection devices. For people with an impaired vision, the setting of a dose on a pen-like injection device may be difficult. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,185 an external display apparatus is provided. This display apparatus may be attached to the pen. Via contacts and counter contacts information about the dose is transmitted to the display apparatus and shown on a large display. The display apparatus suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,185 may also comprise some sort of storage arrangement which allows storage or recording of a set dose of medicament together with associated data like time, date and the kind of medicament (e.g. insulin preparation).
It is a disadvantage of the display apparatus suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,185 that it requires that the pen-like injection device to which it is intended to be attached to undergoes severe modifications in that special communication arrangements, such as electrical contacts, optical ports, gear wheels etc. are required in order to transfer information from the pen-like injection device to the display apparatus.
WO 2004/110528 relates to a device for examination of a medical device. The device suggested in WO 2004/110528 comprises an acoustic receiver which is capable of detecting sounds emitted by the medical device in order to examine the medical device for errors. WO 2004/110528 further relates to a method for examining a medical device whereby sound emitted by the medical device is detected and analysed.
The device suggested in WO 2004/110528 is intended for detecting and localising errors in medical devices. Thus, the device suggested in WO 2004/110528 forms part of a test facility for testing medical devices. The device suggested in WO 2004/110528 is unsuitable for mapping the manner of use of a medical device, such as a medication delivery device capable of delivering set doses of insulin, over a given period of time. In order to obtain reliable mapping results, such given period of time may for example be several months. The reasons why the device according to WO 2004/110528 is unsuitable for mapping the manner of use of a medical device are many. For example, the device suggested in WO 2004/110528 does not facilitate time stamping of events occurring in a medical device. This lack of time stamping makes it impossible to arrange detected events in a chronological correct order.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic module being capable of monitoring the overall operation of standard, and thereby non-modified, medication delivery devices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic module adapted to be attached to a medication delivery device without influencing or affecting daily use of the medication delivery device.
According to the present invention an electronic module capable of measuring externally accessible acoustical and/or vibrational signals generated under normal operation, such as during setting and expelling of a set dose of medicament, of a pen-like medication delivery device is suggested.
It is an advantage of the present invention that data relating to corresponding values of time/date and the amount of injected medicament may easily be transferred from the electronic module to for example a computer for further processing. In this way, traditional paper-based diary's can be avoided. In addition, the present invention can be used as an electronic logbook for conventional medication delivery devices.